Steve Smith’s shame: Captain and Warner step down, ICC acts

Cricket Australia clarifies that Steve Smith will remain in South Africa to assist with its inquriy into the ball tampering scandal.

Australian cricket captain Steve Smith leaves his hotel in Cape Town. Picture: Nasief Manie/WP Media

Disgraced former captain Steve Smith will remain in South Africa to assist Cricket Australia with its inquiry into the ball tampering affair.

Reports this morning suggested Smith, who along with vice captain Dave Warner stood down, was flying home today in disgrace.

However, Cricket Australia confirmed this afternoon that Smith would remain with the touring party as CA begins its internal investigation into the ball tampering scandal that has seen the 28-year-old capatin suspended for the fourth Test by the ICC.

“Cricket Australia can confirm that all members of the touring Test squad currently remain in South Africa,” a statement reads.

“Multiple media reports that suggest players have departed South Africa for home ports are inaccurate.

“At this stage, players will remain in South Africa to assist CA with inquiries. Any outcomes from that process will be communicated in due course.”

Australian cricket is reeling from the greatest scandal in the sport’s history, with the ball-tampering ­incident prompting Malcolm Turnbull to label the national team cheats.

Smith and Warner were last night relieved of their roles for the remainder of the third Test in Cape Town — but still took the field as players — after an emergency phone hook-up with Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland moments before the start of play.

Late last night the International Cricket Council announced Smith would be fined his match fee and suspended for the next Test, while batsman Cameron Bancroft was fined 75 per cent of his match fee.

As it happened: Batting collapse caps misery for Aussies

It is believed Smith and Warner will not return to their leadership positions for some time — if ever — following the nation’s shocked response to the blatant act of cheating that Smith admitted he and other senior members of the team had sanctioned.

Two investigators from Cricket Australia arrived in South Africa overnight amidst speculation Smith may be facing an even longer ban than the one imposed by the ICC for his role in the ball tampering affair on the third day of the Test which Australia lost.

Head of integrity, Iain Roy, and high performance manager are set to interview Smith Cameron Bancroft, David Warner and Darren Lehmann in an attempt to get to the bottom of the decision to tamper with the ball using a piece of tape.

The pair will report back to management and the Cricket Australia board which held a series of phone conferences through yesterday. A charge of conduct contrary to the spirit of the game includes a possible life ban from the sport and takes in factors including “the harm caused by the breach to the interests of cricket”.

Cameron Bancroft is questioned by umpires regarding the ball tampering. Picture: AP.

Nobody expects Smith or Bancroft to get a life ban, but the possibility is there.

CA appeared to change course on Sunday when Smith and David Warner stood down from their positions as captain and vice captain after a meeting. Smith had rejected suggestions he stand down on Saturday evening and Sutherland had said a process needed to be followed before any serious moves were made earlier in the day.

Tim Paine was appointed acting captain, a move approved by the board. The wicket keeper said it was strange to be leading the side in such circumstances.

“Strange, not the circumstances that anyone would like to be sitting here, really bizarre, strange, horrible 24 hours,” he said after play. Paine revealed that Bancroft and Smith were battling with their emotions.

“They’re not great, it’s been a horrible 24 hours, they’re struggling, but probably the reality and the enormity of what’s happened is starting to sink in,” he said.

The Australians seem to be bracing themselves for the absence of more than just Smith in the next Test.

“Some guys are going to get an opportunity from, so it’s trying to grab hold of the one positive that may come of it is guys are going to get an opportunity to play for their country,” Paine said.

PM in shock

The Prime Minister, who is not a renowned cricket fan, expressed disbelief and disappointment. “We all woke up this morning shocked and bitterly disappointed by the news from South Africa,” Mr Turnbull said.

“It seemed completely beyond belief that the Australian cricket team had been involved in cheating. After all, our cricketers are role models and cricket is synonymous with fair play.

“How can our team be engaged in cheating like this? It beggars belief. There’s a lot of disappointment.”

The Prime Minister demanded “decisive action” from Cricket Australia and spoke to chairman David Peever, who had been at the ground when the plot unfolded in the dressing room on day three, but was flying back when the controversy erupted.

Cricket Australia in damage control

Cricket Australia was battling to manage the crisis last night, amid calls for an explanation from key sponsors, including Qantas and the Commonwealth Bank.

Mr Sutherland sent an apology directly to Australian cricket fans’ emails listed on Cricket Australia’s database.

“We are sorry that you had to wake up this (Sunday) morning to news from South Africa that our Australian men’s cricket team and our captain admitted to conduct that is outside both the laws of our game and the spirit of cricket,’’ he wrote.

Cricket Australia launched an investigation into the ball-tampering incident earlier yesterday, with its head of integrity Iain Roy and high-performance manger Pat Howard dispatched to South Africa to establish the facts of the case.

Australian Sports Commission chairman John Wylie also intervened, calling for Smith to be stood down while Cricket Australia conducted its investigation.

“This is about the values that Australian sport and Australian teams represent and stand for, it’s about cheating having no place in sport,’’ he said.

A shame-faced Smith and Bancroft admitted after play on Saturday that they had used a piece of adhesive tape to cheat by attempting to change the condition of the ball.

Smith said it was a conspiracy of the team’s leadership group, with the plot developed during the lunch interval.

The Australian understands it was not, in fact, the leadership group and that Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, who are part of that group, are angry at being included. Warner and Smith were involved.

Bancroft was, they said, standing nearby and designated to do the cheating. He was caught out by cameras that also captured coach Darren Lehmann apparently attempting to relay what was caught on camera to the 12th man, who told the player.

Bancroft was filmed moving something from his pocket to his trousers. He later said he “panicked” when quizzed by the umpires.

Past players were so angry about the damage done to the integrity of cricket in Australia they were pushing for the game to be abandoned as an act of contrition.

Some Australian fans who are following the series claimed they were going to wear South African colours at the fourth day of the Test. The side, which announced minutes before it stepped onto the field that wicketkeeper Tim Paine would take over the captain’s role, was greeted by jeers as they entered the arena.

Former Test keeper Adam Gilchrist said the cricket team had become the “laughing stock of the world”.

“It’s pre-planned. It’s premeditated. And it’s just not acceptable,” he said. “They’ve admitted it. And that’s about the only positive we can take out of this.”

Michael Clarke let the idea float that he would return to take over the captaincy. He, too, was angry, labelling the act “blatant cheating”. Smith initially said he thought he should continue as captain.

“I’m not proud of what’s happened, it’s not within the spirit of the game,” he said after Saturday’s play. “My integrity, the team’s integrity, the leadership group’s integrity has come into question and rightfully so.”

Peter Handscomb speaks to Cameron Bancroft to alert him he's been caught cheating.

South Africans rejoice

Meanwhile South African captain Faf du Plessis rejected suggestions that the Australian were guilty of the same breach he was convicted of in 2016-17.

“Ball shining versus ball tampering, they’re 2 very different situations,” he said. “One is definitely much more serious than the other.

“I can understand it’s a really tough time for him (Smith) to be in right now. Obviously the situation i was in was really difficult for me as well, because people were attacking me, my personality and my character. and I felt it was wrong. It wasn’t fair.

“I don’t know he feels about his own situation.

“But I can imagine it’s a really tough time he’s going through.”

The South African captain is not, however, unhappy that Smith is not playing the last match of the series.

“That is very comforting,” du Plessis said. “He’s a very good batsman and somehow we’ve managed to keep him quiet. A player of his stature, he’s a very, very good player. (For) the Australian team, it’s almost like losing two players. He’s such a strong better and I do believe his leadership is also good for team. He’ll be a big loss for them.”

The South African would not be drawn into stating Smith had cheated.

“It’s difficult for me to answer,” he said. “What he did is against the ICC rule book. He knows that, he’s owned up to it. It’s not right to do that but he’s put his hand up and I suppose now he can try and move forward and the Australian team are going to try and move forward as quickly as possible.

“The ball has reversed a lot this series. We joked about it...we said normally in South African conditions, being an opener is the toughest time to bat, but at the moment everyone is putting their hand up to open the batting. The toughest part in this series has been from 40 to 80 overs.’’